California Briefing / Los Angeles

Runway incident minor, FAA says

The Federal Aviation Administration concluded Wednesday that a runway incursion at Los Angeles International Airport last month was a minor incident in which there was adequate time to avoid a potential collision of two airliners.

The incursion happened about 3 p.m. on Oct. 25 when a Midwest Express Embraer E-190 rolled past the hold lines on a taxiway and came within 82 feet of a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757 that was taking off on one of the airport's southern runways.

FAA investigators labeled the incident a "Category C" incursion, which means that the aircraft exceeded minimum separation requirements but that there were ample time and distance to avoid a collision.